Unbefreakinglievable. And they wonder why we are indifferent at best and hostile at worst to their ineptitude?
A TSA agent in PHL played a cruel joke—I wouldn’t even call it a joke—on a young female passenger. Disgusting and despicable.
I would insert the usual caveat about this being such a small minority of TSA employees, but why is it that seemingly daily we get another dose of incompetence and stories of TSA failures, rudeness or worse?
To think—that employee, now thankfully fired, might have still had a job if they were to unionize.
Ikramerica From United States of America, joined exactly 8 years ago today! , 21029 posts, RR: 60 Reply 2, posted (3 years 4 months 2 days 20 hours ago) and read 7751 times:
Quoting Slider (Thread starter): I would insert the usual caveat about this being such a small minority of TSA employees, but why is it that seemingly daily we get another dose of incompetence and stories of TSA failures, rudeness or worse?
Because there are thousands of TSA employees? And anything they do will make news?
Of all the things to worry about... the Wookie has no pants.
Ikramerica From United States of America, joined exactly 8 years ago today! , 21029 posts, RR: 60 Reply 3, posted (3 years 4 months 2 days 20 hours ago) and read 7805 times:
And he is no longer with the TSA. So bad apple weeded out. Isn't that all we can ask?
Of all the things to worry about... the Wookie has no pants.
Jreuschl From United States of America, joined Jul 2009, 413 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (3 years 4 months 2 days 20 hours ago) and read 7753 times:
And what would have happened if she would have put that in her bag, saying some stranger put that object in there? Who knows, maybe the whole security gate would have been shut down. Then she'd probably be fined/thrown in jail for saying later it was a joke.
Chrisair From United States of America, joined Sep 2000, 1770 posts, RR: 4 Reply 5, posted (3 years 4 months 2 days 19 hours ago) and read 7662 times:
Unbelievable.
I'm glad to see the TSA has such high standards in their hiring process. Unreal. Just unreal. I wonder how come the TSA doesn't publicize these stories on their propaganda...err...blog.
MoltenRock From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 7, posted (3 years 4 months 2 days 19 hours ago) and read 7505 times:
Quoting NorthStarDC4M (Reply 1): I hope that poor girl gets a good lawyer and sues the pants and shirt off the guy... pity she probably can't sue the TSA.
Oh there you go, that makes a whole lot of sense. Sue for millions because someone was mortified for 20 seconds.
Quoting Ikramerica (Reply 3): And he is no longer with the TSA. So bad apple weeded out. Isn't that all we can ask?
The guy was a moron to pull that stunt and is gone, seems like a decent conclusion to me.
Quoting Chrisair (Reply 5): I'm glad to see the TSA has such high standards in their hiring process.
Meh. You get what you pay for. How much are they paying these people $12 to $15 an hour? We pay part-time college interns more than that.
Trigged From United States of America, joined Mar 2005, 497 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (3 years 4 months 2 days 19 hours ago) and read 7413 times:
Quoting MoltenRock (Reply 7): Oh there you go, that makes a whole lot of sense. Sue for millions because someone was mortified for 20 seconds.
Maybe because incidents like that cause entire airports to be emptied and rerun through security, cause people to have a criminal record, and if the person had a pre-existing heart condition, may have caused a heart attack. Would this be as innocuous as you claim if the girl had a heart attack and passed away? Would this be "mortified for 20 seconds" if the TSA agent got embarrassed and decided to not let her know it was a joke and caused this girl true legal problems? There is an expectation of common sense, albeit a formality rather than an actual expectation, that the TSA agents will provide security to our airports and act in a professional manner. This is as far from professional as it can get.
Do you think people would be laughing if the girl had instigated the joke? Unfortunately some people only learn lessons when they reallllllly hurt. Apparently, this TSA agent was one of those people.
Canoecarrier From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 2657 posts, RR: 12 Reply 9, posted (3 years 4 months 2 days 19 hours ago) and read 7359 times:
Quoting MoltenRock (Reply 7): Oh there you go, that makes a whole lot of sense. Sue for millions because someone was mortified for 20 seconds. banghead
Makes sense to me and probably a majority of the people that read this article. I guarantee if you were in the same situation you probably would have reacted very close to the way she did.
I had my vehicle searched once when I was leaving a college party and during the search the officer misidentified a piece of a tire tool as drug contraband. It took about 10 seconds for him to realize what it was but those were probably the most stressful 10 seconds of my life. While I'm no fan of lawsuits sometimes they serve a valuable purpose to change the way government agencies and corporations treat citizens.
LTU932 From Germany, joined Jan 2006, 13864 posts, RR: 51 Reply 10, posted (3 years 4 months 2 days 18 hours ago) and read 7261 times:
Quoting Slider (Thread starter): A TSA agent in PHL played a cruel joke—I wouldn’t even call it a joke—on a young female passenger. Disgusting and despicable.
When I read the whole article, I was left speechless. I don't know if I should laugh at what the TSA agent did to get himself sacked (or become "forced" to resign), or if I should cry out of the embarassment that man constitutes for all of mankind. Good to see that the man has left the TSA somehow though, and I hope he got absolutely no severance pay at all in case that he was indeed sacked.
Quoting Canoecarrier (Reply 10): Makes sense to me and probably a majority of the people that read this article. I guarantee if you were in the same situation you probably would have reacted very close to the way she did.
If she sues the TSA for this prank of very bad taste, I'd support her. Perhaps it would remind them that their job is to keep flights departing out of US airports safe, not to subject passengers to such blatant ridicule.
MoltenRock From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 11, posted (3 years 4 months 2 days 18 hours ago) and read 7189 times:
Quoting Trigged (Reply 8): Do you think people would be laughing if the girl had instigated the joke? Unfortunately some people only learn lessons when they reallllllly hurt. Apparently, this TSA agent was one of those people.
Quoting Trigged (Reply 8): Maybe because incidents like that cause entire airports to be emptied and rerun through security, cause people to have a criminal record, and if the person had a pre-existing heart condition, may have caused a heart attack.
Quoting Canoecarrier (Reply 10): Makes sense to me and probably a majority of the people that read this article. I guarantee if you were in the same situation you probably would have reacted very close to the way she did.
LMAO!
Those sentiments made my day, thank you. And American's wonder why all the manufacturing has moved to Asia. Too funny.
Life is dangerous, get over it, no one is getting out alive.
Cpd From Australia, joined Jun 2008, 4879 posts, RR: 44 Reply 12, posted (3 years 4 months 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 6790 times:
It's very poor taste by the TSA - especially given the way they threaten the travelling masses. You know what it is like, they are always right, no matter what - if they do something wrong, you can't argue with it.
Good to see that the worker was properly reprimanded.
WestWing From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 2112 posts, RR: 8 Reply 13, posted (3 years 4 months 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 6751 times:
Older TSA uniforms had white shirts, new are blue shirts. Article says black shirt. Is that correct?
The best time to plant a tree is 40 years ago. The second best time is today.
L-188 From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 29350 posts, RR: 62 Reply 14, posted (3 years 4 months 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 6743 times:
In appropriate and unfortunately typcial of the swine that was hired by the TSA. But what do you expect, these people wheren't hired to be smart enough to use their own discression an intellengence that was how rules get broken.
We don't actually know if this guy was reprimanded. I wouldn't trust a TSA spokeman as much as the current white house spokesman, and that isn't much.
Hopefully she does sue, and we can find out this mornon is and what actually happened to him.
OBAMA-WORST PRESIDENT EVER....Even SKOORB would be better.
JOEYCAPPS From Italy, joined Jul 2008, 194 posts, RR: 1 Reply 15, posted (3 years 4 months 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 6679 times:
Quoting NorthStarDC4M (Reply 1): I hope that poor girl gets a good lawyer and sues the pants and shirt off the guy
Typical BS statement. "Yeah. My feelings were hurt, but $22m will make it all go away". Please. We're sue-friendly enough. I think just this PR is hurting them enough. Their reputation isnt exactly something worth tarnishing any more than it has on its own.
ULMFlyer From Brazil, joined Sep 2006, 475 posts, RR: 1 Reply 16, posted (3 years 4 months 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 6673 times:
Not the same thing, but I was once entering the US at EWR and the ICE(?) Officer at passport control turned to me after looking at his screen and asked straight-faced: "Why were you arrested last time you were in the US?"
At 6 am and barely awake, my brain didn't have enough time to process the information and turn it into fear of some bureaucratic mistake that was about to screw up my life. All I managed to do was to give him a "WTF?" look. Luckily, that was enough for him to burst out laughing and send me on my way with a "Have a nice day!"
What's really amazing is that the TSA has gone more than one year without someone being nominated as its head.
Chrisair From United States of America, joined Sep 2000, 1770 posts, RR: 4 Reply 17, posted (3 years 4 months 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 6665 times:
Quoting WestWing (Reply 14): Older TSA uniforms had white shirts, new are blue shirts. Article says black shirt. Is that correct?
I've seen TSA folks wearing black vests over their smurf shirts.
DocLightning From United States of America, joined Nov 2005, 16819 posts, RR: 57 Reply 18, posted (3 years 4 months 2 days 9 hours ago) and read 6520 times:
Quoting Ikramerica (Reply 3): And he is no longer with the TSA. So bad apple weeded out. Isn't that all we can ask?
No, we can ask that our legislators hear our outrage at this travesty of money-wasting and endangerment of human life and restore the prior security system.
MoltenRock From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 19, posted (3 years 4 months 2 days 9 hours ago) and read 6510 times:
Quoting DocLightning (Reply 20): No, we can ask that our legislators hear our outrage at this travesty of money-wasting and endangerment of human life and restore the prior security system.
Which "prior security system" are you referring to, if you don't mind me asking?
OP3000 From United States of America, joined Jun 2009, 1678 posts, RR: 2 Reply 20, posted (3 years 4 months 2 days 8 hours ago) and read 6398 times:
Quoting Chrisair (Reply 5): I'm glad to see the TSA has such high standards in their hiring process. Unreal. Just unreal. I wonder how come the TSA doesn't publicize these stories on their propaganda...err...blog.
While I've never seem anything even remotely as stupid as this incident, I must say its not surprising after having overheard a lot of the loud goof-off conversations among the TSA security personnel at PHL. It happens to some extent at all airports, but the staff there (particularly those who work after passing the X-ray machines) are almost always in some sort of off-topic conversation amongst each other.
Usair330 From United States of America, joined Mar 2002, 790 posts, RR: 1 Reply 21, posted (3 years 4 months 2 days ago) and read 5305 times:
The reason this happens is that the TSA hires pretty much anyone. Eventually the TSA will hire someone that will be the cause of another terrorist attack. God forbid. That's the way I see it.
FlyMeToTheMoon From United States of America, joined Jul 2004, 242 posts, RR: 1 Reply 22, posted (3 years 4 months 1 day 23 hours ago) and read 4895 times:
"she was told the TSA worker had been training the staff to detect contraband." Is the TSA charged with security or enforcing 'normal' law by detecting contraband? Since when?!?!?
BlueFlyer From United States of America, joined Jan 2006, 3123 posts, RR: 1 Reply 24, posted (3 years 4 months 1 day 23 hours ago) and read 4480 times:
Quoting MoltenRock (Reply 7): Oh there you go, that makes a whole lot of sense. Sue for millions because someone was mortified for 20 seconds.
Quoting Trigged (Reply 8): Maybe because incidents like that cause entire airports to be emptied and rerun through security,
Or maybe because now, for the next real bad guy, a defense of "TSA planted that on me" has become plausible.
Quoting FlyMeToTheMoon (Reply 26): Is the TSA charged with security or enforcing 'normal' law by detecting contraband?
"Contraband" doesn't exclusively mean illegal drugs and so forth. "Contraband" is a generic term for any good that one is trying to pass/carry illegally. So any substance/material that you try to take airside against TSA regulations is contraband.
And no, TSA doesn't enforce "normal laws" by detecting "normal drugs."
I've got $h*t to do
25 MidEx216: No, that's not all we can ask. These things shouldn't be happening in the first place. We shouldn't be taking measures to fix the problems that arise
26 BlueFlyer: I partly agree that TSA is a lot of useless theatrics, but I totally disagree with your approach. The question you are conveniently ignoring is this:
27 GentFromAlaska: I wish the press would refer to the the airport screener as a TSO (Transportation Security Officers) which are their titles, I realize they are the fr
28 TZFALAX: While the behavior of the agent is unexcusable, it seems he got a deserved punishment with the loss of his job. As far as any potential lawsuit, isn't
29 OP3000: No, nothing has been said about a lawsuit; and its pure coincidence that her father is among the millions of Americans who are lawyers.
30 Luv2cattlecall: Exactly. This would have never happened with a private firm, because the firm would tighten up their hiring procedures - since they know that one scr
31 ThegreatRDU: nice move TSA....they think they are above the law you can see it in how they carry themselves....
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